Blue Bird Search
by jitterbugs
Summary: AH. OOC. Bella Swan is obsessed with Emmett McCarty, star baseball player of Forks High. But, will she ever be able to open her eyes and see all the other fishes in the sea? Or will she stay attached to her fantasy, Emmett? Just try reading it.
1. Ornithology, what?

**A/N: Hey. I know I'm not that good yet, forgive me. I promise that it will get better. Most of the characters here are OOC, though a little bit in the end they will be back to their normal behaviors and attitude in Twilight. Don't get mad at me if you don't like to see ExB click at once. And, if AxB won't be best of friends. Just trust me, and I will do my best to work it out in the end. Okay? Okay.**

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**_Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Twilight Saga. I also got most of my idea while reading a book, I forgot what the title is so just message me if you think you know what it is. No copyright infringement intended._

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Emmett McCarty was the first to notice. Emmett was always first here at Forks High. He was the star captain of the baseball team, brash, incredibly clever and the hottest guy in the junior class. At least, in my opinion.

The sun had broken through the spaces in the venetian blinds in Professor Banner's Biology class, right into Emmett's curly dark hair causing it to look hotter as he squinted his eyes a little due to the heat. But he doesn't mind, not after months of cold and gloomy weather. "All right!" he yelled, waving his fist triumphantly in the air. "Forks High, here we come!" Emmett had fidgeted all week as the rain canceled a baseball game and practices day after day. Emmett's outburst paved the way for everyone else to proclaim a personal welcome to the return of sunshine. With a toss of her short, spiky, black hair, my cousin Alice Brandon, turned in her seat and blew a kiss to Jasper Whitlock, her latest boyfriend. I cheered along with my friends, Angela Weber and Mike Newton. Emmett and Jasper walked to the windows and began opening the blinds one after the other as everyone else watched and clapped -- everyone but Edward Cullen, who sat in the front row seat, book open and waiting for the class to continue.

"Class! Let's have peace and quiet, please! Settle down!" Professor Banner shouted. Nothing short of a disaster would ever take our teacher's mind of the more important concerns of biology. He nearly went crazy whenever anything caused him to veer from her carefully planned schedule. But he was no match for the pent-up energy of thirty five restless students. I guess Professor Banner got tired of yelling. Maybe he was afraid of making himself hoarse. After a couple of minutes of our unrestrained shouting and cheering, Professor Banner stopped his pleading. He walked to Emmett's desk, picked up his unopened biology book and threw it back on his desk with a clap.

The noise stunned everyone in the class. The room got eerily silent. Jasper and Emmett, who had just finished opening the last blinds in the rear of the room, slunk back to their sets. Emmett gave me a friendly pat on the head as he passed, making my scalp tingle and raising my hopes as he had so many times before. Professor Banner walked calmly back to the front of the room.

"I have a special outdoor project lined up for this weekend's homework assignment." He announced with a clear smug smile written across his face. The class erupted again, this time with groans.

"Aw, Banner." Emmett complained above all the commotion. "Have a heart, will you? We're a week behind baseball practice." He said. Banner placed his hands on the top of the teacher's desk.

"I fail to understand what baseball has to do with biology." he answered him. "Now if you will please quiet down and listen to what I was supposed to say before I was so rudely interrupted."

It struck me as funny that Emmett should talk about having a heart. I have been in love with him since the New Year's Snow Ball when he'd dance with me three times and hinted at the promise of more to come. He had failed to do his promise, and it nearly broke my heart into million tiny pieces, yet that didn't diminish my love for him. Neither did his endless string of girlfriends. He practically never dated a girl more than twice. But I could look at that as a good sign, as if he wanted to get everyone out of the way first before devoting all of his time to me._ Yeah right_. But, it won't hurt to try and dream, right? I was willing to wait for a boy as popular, handsome, funny, hot and talented as Emmett.

"Did you hear my question, Isabella?" A voice suddenly sounded through my day dream. I saw Professor Banner's beady eyes focused right on me. Rosalie Hale and Alice turned and snickered at me; James smirked and Emmett just looked at me curiously. I played nervously with the wispy hairs at the back of my neck while biting my bottom lip. God, this is humiliating.

"I'm sorry. Would you please repeat it?" I asked. I wished I could have come up with something clever and witty, as Emmett would have done. Instead, I get embarrassed and I could feel my blood start pooling at my cheeks. Feeling my face go red, I turned slightly in my seat to hide the telling sign of my discomfort from Emmett.

"Since your thoughts have already drifted outdoors," Prof. Banner admonished, "I would like you to explain the benefits of this project to the class. Emmett McCarty, in particular, seems to be under the impression that our little biology class interferes with baseball."

The class was waiting for my answer. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Emmett staring at me. I had to say something fast.

"I think the outdoor project would be fun, especially now that the sun is out," I said quickly, wondering if Professor Banner had already told the class what kind of project we would be having. Emmett snorted at me in mock disgust and looked away. I internally kicked myself. "But.. why not excuse anyone in sports? Forks High needs to win the games this year and we are very much behind in practices."

Professor Banner nodded his head. "Very.. diplomatic, Miss Swan." he noted. "But unacceptable. Edward, let's hear what you have to say."

A couple of students groaned softly. You see, Edward Cullen was the class brain, one of those guys who took school work very seriously and always had a right answer prepared for every question. More than once he had pulled everyone's grade down by getting a hundred on a test graded on a curve.

"Since we are studying on ornithology this week," Edward started "a field observation might help bring the subject to life. Birds really are fascinating creatures. We could learn a lot by simply watching them."

"So are bookworms," growled Emmett. "But we don't study those."

"We are going to dissect worms next, next week." Professor Banner stated, clearly misunderstanding. The class burst out laughing while Banner just looked puzzled and confused. But Edward understood and he turned as pink as I had. The remark was mean, but it was true. He wasn't exactly unattractive, in fact he is actually pretty hot. He has the most interesting emerald eyes which shines whenever he answers, he also topped it up with a reddish bronze mop of hair. He has high cheekbones, straight nose and full pink lips. When he first arrived Forks High, girls flocked to him. But, since he started becoming the class brain, jocks started to tease him relentlessly.

Alice caught Rosalie's eye and mouthed the word 'ornithology'. They both giggled. I felt a little sorry for Edward, but he really brought it on himself. I mean, why did he insist on always sounding like a fucking walking dictionary? Meanwhile, Professor Banner had inadvertently managed to create another commotion.

"That's enough!" He shouted with as much authority he could use. "This is not your break time. I just wanted to see if some of you were awake." He looked straight at me with pointed eyes, and I lowered my head in shame. To Emmett, he said "I think it might do you some good to see nature beyond the sports field. You might even discover that not all grass comes equipped with white stripes or baseball diamonds on it."

"Home run!" cheered Jasper Whitlock. The class joined in again, whistling and clapping. This time, even Banner looked pleased. A smile spread across his bony face as he surveyed the class. "All right," he began "now that we've had our fun, let us move on to that project. We have wasted enough time already." He proceeded to outline this week's homework project. "You will each be assigned one bird to observe. I want you to detail everything – what it looks like, it's nest, eggs, food supply, habitat. Check out a bird book and a pair of binoculars from the biology lab if you don't have one yourself." He went over the list of common Washington birds.

When Professor Banner had finished, I couldn't help thinking to myself. _Birds! What can I possible learn from standing around looking at birds?_ Emmett was right; baseball was a lot more important. It builds character and good school spirit. Right?

The baseball diamond also happened to be where most of the cute guys in school could be found. Spending my weekend in the bleachers, examining the habits of the team would be far more enlightening than 'ornithology'. Unfortunately, I didn't think Professor Banner would give me credit for studying the physical markings of an outfielder.

Sighing, I cupped my chin in my hands as he walked over to Alice's desk and handed her a white shoe box to pass around. Recently, Professor Banner had selected my cousin to be his favored assistant. With her pixie-like height, short, spiky black hair, who would have thought that we would be related? I had long locks of brown hair, boring brown eyes and a heart-shaped face. Not that I am downright ugly, but I guess I pale in comparison to Alice's spunky style. Alice looked like an angel who could do no wrong, but having shared a room with her for the past seven weeks while her mom was away on her honeymoon, I knew better. When she wanted to, she could be an absolute horror. I could have told Professor Banner a dozen stories about my cousin's treachery, including a couple about how she dated two guys in one night. But neither Professor Banner nor anyone else would bother to believe me. I remember when Professor Banner excused Alice from dissecting frogs because she told him that the smell of formaldehyde made her sink.

My mom kept telling me, "Now Bells, remember, honey, Alice is going through a rough time now. First, the divorce. Now, her mother's remarriage. It's got to be tough on her." Everybody, it seemed was determined to believe that Alice was a wonderful girl just going through a rough time.

But, I have not seen her good side for a long, long time now, and I often wondered if the cousin who had been like a sister to me for so long had disappeared from my life forever.

I watched as she stopped at Edward Cullen's desk and waited for him to choose one of the slips of paper on which Professor Banner had written the the name of a bird. I prayed silently for a robin or house sparrow, which were the only birds I had ever really noticed. Edward probably knew them all. I saw him pluck a note from the box with his long, slim fingers and attempt a shy smile at Alice. Was he trying to be friendly, or did he have a secret crush on her? A lot of boys had crushes on Alice this year. But Edward's actions were not as obvious as Emmett's or those of some of the other boys. For his sake, I hoped it wasn't a crush. Alice once told me that a boy like Edward just did not have 'it' – whatever 'it' was.

An unpleasant thought struck me. I looked at Professor Banner with his thin, nervous lips and the unruly hair that is standing on different edges. He probably never had whatever 'it' was with women, either.

I chased the thought from my head. It didn't do me any good to think so negatively. The absence of dates in my mental book probably had more to do with my obsession with Emmett than with any short comings on my part. But, I was not ready to give up. Every time I reached the brink of deciding that it was useless to hope any longer, he would wink at me or pat my head or even just smile his famous dimpled smile in my direction, and my resolve would crumble down to ashes.

Edward seemed to sense my gaze and glanced back at me with that half smile still on his face. I smiled back a little and we both looked away quickly. I pretended to run my hand through my layered brown hair. What if Edward got the wrong idea? Once, Rosalie had hinted that he might like me. The last thing I needed was to be tagged with a boy like Edward! Then I could certainly kiss my hopes of going to the junior senior prom with Emmett goodbye forever.

Meanwhile, Emmett had the class in an uproar again. Picking a note from the box that Alice held in front of him, he opened it as gingerly as though it was a fortune cookie.

"Wow! Look what I got!" he exclaimed, holding the paper in front of him.

Everybody turned to him expectantly. Out loud he read. "Rosalie Hale, 682-3458." Rosalie gasped, Alice busted out laughing and Emmett clapped a hand in front of his mouth in mock horror and rolled his eyes.

"Oops! Wrong note!" he exclaimed.

Rosalie reached over and grabbed the slip of paper from his hands. "That reads 'crow', you moron!" she said while smiling broadly. Flattered, to have been chosen for a leading role in Emmett's current act. I felt a lump suddenly lodge itself in the bottom of my throat. Jasper took the opportunity to call out,

"Hey! We are studying birds, not chicks!" To which Tyler Crowley retorted,

"Watch what you are saying, you sexist!" Again, Professor Banner tried to restore order. Lucky for him, the bell signaling the end of the period rang.

"Please wait until everyone has received a bird!" he called out into the chaos. But it was already too late. Emmett had grabbed Rosalie's hand, and I silently watched her blond pony tail bob out of sight as they ran out into the hall. The lump that took residence in my throat had dropped with a thud into the depths of my stomach. I could not believe it – was Rosalie Hale to be Emmett's latest?

I had waited patiently through his other flings, yet I never suspected my new rival would be my cousin's best friend. When would my turn finally arrive?

I turned at the top of my desk, wishing that what I had just witnessed would turn out to be just an illusion. If things went on like this, I would have graduated from high school before Emmett ever got around to me.

Alice had just arrived at my desk with Professor Banner's shoe box and stood impatiently, shifting one foot to another, waiting for me to grab a slip.

"Hurry up!" she urged "I did not finish my English home work last night and I have got to do it during lunch break.

Hardly sympathetic to her plight, I reached in among the slips, still thinking about Emmett and Rosalie. "Come on, will you! Not everyone has all the time in the world!" My cousin scowled at me, shifting another weight over on one hip.

"Okay, okay. I'm getting it now." I said. "But tell me about Rosalie and Emmett, since when has that been going on?" I asked her.

"How am I supposed to know? I do not keep tabs on them." She demanded, scowling.

"Rosalie is your best friend, isn't she?" I sarcastically reminded her.

"So?" Alice refused to commit herself. "You know her too. You can ask her yourself." She picked a white slip and held it out to me. "Here – this is as good as any."

"Never mind, I got one myself." My fingers closed on a slip near the bottom of the box. "Thanks for your info. You are a huge help." I added sarcastically.

Alice sighed dramatically. Since she dated Jasper, Emmett's best friend. I'd once asked her to arrange a double date. But she never did, and for all I knew she had not even tried.

"Won't you fucking grow up already?" she said before walking away and moving to the next person in front of me.

My eyes filling with tears. I got up and gathered my books together. Alice had moved on to Jessica Stanley, laughing as if she suddenly had all the time in the world. Bitch. I didn't understand it. When we were kids we were best friends, but ever since we started high school, she treated me as if I was a third-class citizen. Now that she was living in my room for the semester, it was getting even worse.

Through the blur in my eyes, I just managed to notice that the little slip of paper with the bird's name on it had slipped from my hand and taken wing across the room. It floated neatly through the rays of sunlight on the breeze wafting in through an open window. Finally, it settled on the floor across the classroom. _Oh no_. I thought. Now I would have to go hunting for it. I really wanted to dash to the girl's room for a tissue. Hastily I dabbed by eyes with the back of my hand, hoping nobody would notice.

"Hey, whose bird?" a boy called out. He picked up my slip and waved it in the air. It was Edward.

"It's mine." I held my hand up, blinded by my tears. I was relieved it was him and not somebody else who found the note. Edward would never notice my red eyes. No doubt he was already in his own world, planning his bird project.

Stumbling a little as he made his way through the seats, Edward approached me with the paper.

"You've picked a lucky bird," he told me, smiling sweetly as he walked right up to me. I was struck with how much better he looked close up.

"Oh, really? Why?" I replied automatically.

"Really." he echoed, holding the slip in front of me. "You picked a blue bird, see? Don't you know? It's the symbol for hope, love and happiness."

"Hope, love and happiness! Is that supposed to be a joke?" I replied contemptuously. It think it was then that Edward noticed the tears in my eyes. At least, that was when he got flustered. He stepped back and stumbled over a desk. He looked so vulnerable just then that I could not help but wonder how much courage it had taken him to say those few words.

Dumbfounded, we stared at each other for an awkward moment. Then we turned and ducked out of the class through two different doors.

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**A/N: There. Please, please, please leave a review. Tell me what to improve on and if you liked it or not. Thanks! ;)**


	2. Joe's Diner and Root Beers

**A/N: Hey. Here is the second chapter. I'm glad that at least some of you guys take the time to comment. This story is rated M for language and POSSIBLE sexual encounter. Though I am not that sure yet if I will really include a sexual encounter/s here, let us just wait and see. Well, here you go!**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Twilight Saga. I also got most of my idea while reading a book, I forgot what the title is so just message me if you think you know what it is. No copyright infringement intended._

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_"Hope, love and happiness! Is that supposed to be a joke?" I replied contemptuously. It think it was then that Edward noticed the tears in my eyes. At least, that was when he got flustered. He stepped back and stumbled over a desk. He looked so vulnerable just then that I could not help but wonder how much courage it had taken him to say those few words._

_Dumbfounded, we stared at each other for an awkward moment. Then we turned and ducked out of the class through two different doors._

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My mood had lifted a bit by the time school was over. Surely, I had made too much of that simple scene between Emmett and Rosalie. One tiny flirtation with Rosalie did not have to mean anything. Hadn't he patted my head on his way back to his desk in biology class? No doubt he would stroll into Joe's Diner after school as free and as easy as he usually was, ready to talk and flirt with every girl in sight. If so, I wanted to be there for my share of flirtation. Once, I had treated him to my french fries, and he held my hands in between his in mock gratitude. Honestly, I actually did not wash them for the rest of the day.

Joe's Diner was not such a great looking place, but the hot dogs and burgers were cheap, and since Emmett hung out there after school, I did too. A lot of juniors went to Joe's Diner to recover from the rigors of a day at Forks High. Joe was a nice, friendly and sweet guy – he turned the jukebox on for free and did not care how many people share the same meal.

Joe's Diner was crowded when I opened the door, but I managed to grab a stool on the far end side of the room. There was an unwritten rule at Joe's that couples got booth seats, while single people sat at the long Formica booth seats that ran the length of the diner.

A crowd of girls huddled together at the far left side of the diner. I knew what it was all about. Alice was holding one of her "therapy" sessions again. Listening intently were Jessica Stanley, Lauren Mallory, Victoria, Tanya Denali and a sophomore who considered herself a junior, ugh. One of the other regulars, Rosalie Hale, was not there, and her absence was not a good sign as far as I was concerned. I mean, what if Emmett and Rosalie were making out at the back of his over sized monster truck right now? No. I must get that disgusting image out of my mind.

One of Alice's favorite past times was delivering lectures about human nature, as she called it. She loved talking about herself and her own family best. Especially, since her mother remarried to a guy he met at a fucking base ball game. Alice was moving from Forks to Vancouver as soon as school was out.

Alice tried to make it sound as if her mother had gotten remarried just to make her life miserable. But, Aunt Carol had been sad ever since her divorce from Uncle Bob some years before. When she had announced the marriage, she had looked happier than I could ever remember seeing her. Alice had seemed thrilled, too. But when Aunt Carol took off on a three month, cross country honeymoon and left Alice in my mother's care, my cousin felt abandoned and was making it a point to let everyone know about it. _Alice, always the drama queen._

Since she was living with us now, I often wondered how much information and tidbits about Mom and Dad and me contributed to her fucking gab sessions. Mom had tried to make Alice feel loved and welcome in our home, but Alice never demonstrated any appreciation as far as I could see. She never thanked Mom for doing her laundry and always had some excuse why she could not set the dinner table. She did not even seem to care that I had given up half my room for her, either; she took it over as if she had lived there forever.

"Nobody has any idea where Mom is," I heard Alice tell the eager group dramatically as I ambled over to listen. I stopped just far enough away so that she could not notice me eavesdropping. "That postcard from a National Park was the last I have ever heard from her." She sighed, I repeat, she _dramatically_ sighed.

"You poor thing," Jessica said and look at her with concerned eyes, leaning over to pat Alice reassuringly on the arm. "How could your mother leave you alone like that?"

"It's just awful!" Alice confirmed, her voice dripping heavy with mock sadness,"It's like a prison in the Swan's house. There are rules for every thing and chores every time I turn around. And having to share a room with Bella is no picnic either." She let out a huge, deep sigh as if her generous nature was the only reason for her to cope up in my room.

I could have cheerfully killed her on the spot. How dare she lie about us? Mom and Dad have allowed her to do practically anything, with no responsibility and a generous curfew to come with it. She did not even have to clean up her side of the room! The nerve. I listened to see how outrageous her foolish stories would get.

"Bella is always asking me to do things for her," she continued her complaint.

I couldn't take it anymore "Like what?" I challenged.

Alice didn't seem embarrassed or flustered like I hoped she would be by my catching her talking about false stuff about me and my family.

She shot back. "Like demanding if I could fix you up with Emmett McCarty."

I could not believe what I just heard. Did I hear correctly? How could she say that in front of the girls! I asked her about Emmett in confidence, and she had sworn to secrecy that she would never, ever say a fucking word about our conversation to anyone and now here she goes blabbering as if it was the most innocent thing to say in the world. What the fuck?

Humiliated, I could feel the red rushing up to my exposed neck. "I – I never demanded anything!" I managed to say gaining courage with each word, "You are exaggerating, Alice, just like you exaggerated about your mother. You know she and your stepfather went on a cross country camping trip and would not be in touch. She said she would write again as soon as she had reached civilization." The other girls stared at me as Alice shot me a glare.

"Who asked you?" she demanded, fire spewing from her dark eyes, "Are you always in the habit of going through other people's mail?" Her pretty mouth was now in the form of an ugly scowl.

"You showed me that postcard!" I cried. "Why the hell are you twisting the truth? So that people could look at you with pity? Wow, Alice. You are seriously getting real low there."

"Is she?" Lauren spoke up then. "Everyone knows what a crush you have with Emmett!"

"Not that it has gotten you anywhere." Jessica added snidely.

Before I could speak, Tanya Denali stepped in, "Come on, girls, lay off!" she warned. Tanya was always the regulating force in their little group.

Everybody looked as sheepish as I felt. When would I learn to stay out of Alice's gossip sessions?

"How about it, cousins?" Tanya coaxed, "What do you say you kiss and make up?"

Alice smiled thinly. I could tell from the color of her used-to-be pale cheeks that she was mortified and embarrassed by the whole scene. But I was more humiliated – all these girls knew how I felt about Emmett McCarty; nothing could erase that fact, even this fucking scene. As much as I wanted to just throw my arms around Alice and wipe out all our problems, frustrations and misunderstandings between us, my pride would not let me.

"Well, I have to go."" I mumbled hardly, not looking at anyone's eyes. "I'll see you guys around."

"Sure." a couple of them mumbled in return.

I knew they were relieved to see me leave. The tension in that corner of the room was so thick, I don't think you could even cut it with a knife. A chainsaw maybe?

With my face still burning, I walked back to the other end of the diner, creeping past the other bodies around me.

Joe's Diner was still crowded. Someone turned on the jukebox full blast, drowning out most meaningful conversation, like our little debacle at the other corner. I noticed a lone guy in a booth, peering intently into a book. I wish I could trade places with him rather than return to my exposed stool. Instinctively, he looked up as I passed.

"Hi." I said automatically. It was Edward. I could tell that he was uncomfortable and felt out of place. Of course, he would not know about the booth rules.

"Hey Bella. Want to sit down?" he asked, looking shyly over the top of a textbook, _Principles of Trigonometry_. He spoke so softly , I barely heard him over the music from the jukebox.

"Sure." I agreed reluctantly. I did not especially want to be seen with him, but the booth was a convenient spot to wait for Emmett's arrival. With the stool gone, I could not stand by myself.

"Would you like something to drink?" Edward asked as the waitress came closer, raising his voice to be heard over the music.

"A root beer, please." I shouted to the waitress.

Edward did not say anything else, and I began to wonder why he would stay here in Joe's and why he'd ask me to sit with him. Except for our awkward meetings in class and usual greetings and pleasantries, we had never actually spoken. Had he felt conspicuous sitting at the booth alone? I felt strange too, being there with him in a booth that was meant for couples. Edward was not exactly my type for a boyfriend, sure he was hot and gorgeous – it's just that he never spends any time outside. I sighed exasperatedly. I was at a booth at last, but I felt as lonely as I had ever been in my life. If I had not ordered a root beer, I would have escaped to my room at home. After a few more painfully, silent moments, the drinks were served to our booth.

"What do you think of the biology project?" Edward asked while slowly peeling the wrapper for my straw and put it in my root beer. That was kind of sweet and gentlemanly. He tried to look at me in the eyes as he said it, as if he had read an instruction book called _How to Talk to Girls_. It was sort of touching – as though Edward lived his whole life through books and did not really know how to act on his own.

"It's fine," I said. "I've just never really learned how to use a pair of binoculars before."

Edward pounced on my words. "There is really nothing to it. If you'd like, I could show you how."

"Oh, no. I'm sure I could manage. Thanks, though." I said quickly and smiled weakly at him. He look hurt and disappointed that I wanted to shove the words I said back to my big, fat mouth. For another awkward moment, we said nothing while we stared at the ice in our drinks. No doubt the girls at the back have already seen us and by now, they would have been laughing their big, fake ass.

"I know the class thinks that birds are a waste of time, but birding is really a hobby of mine." Edward went on, "My dad is an amateur ornithologist and he's been studying birds for years now. He knows as much about them as anyone."

"Really?" I asked uninterested. My mind was on every boy that entered the diner. Sooner or later, one of them would be Emmett.

"Really. Birds are really neat. Have you ever heard of a puffin?"

"No." I glanced at my watch. 4:23 PM. Emmett should have been there already. What was holding him up?"

"They are funny birds." Edward laughed nervously. I realized then that I had never heard or seen him laugh and smile before. He had one deep dimple that gave him quite an impish look, he was really beautiful if ever you just look closely on him.

Quickly, I turned my head towards the window. Still no sign of Emmett's over sized red monster slash pick-up truck in the parking lot.

Edward chattered confidently on, oblivious to my inattention. "They live on the northern Atlantic Ocean," he continued "But, you want to hear something really neat?"

"What?"

"No one knows exactly where they go in the winter. But every spring, they return to lay one single egg in the are where they were born."

"Too bad Alice's mother is not a puffin." I commented weakly.

Edward was puzzled. "Huh?" he questioned, squinting his emerald eyes nervously.

"Oh, nothing." I immediately said. Why get him drawn into all this? Then I forgot Edward altogether. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of red. Emmett's truck had pulled up in Joe's parking lot!

"Is that what was bothering you in biology class today?" Edward sincerely asked. But his voice sounded a million miles away. Right now, I was focused on Emmett.

I noticed that Emmett has emerged from the car with Jasper and a girl. I could not see who the girl is yet but I had a pretty good idea who I think that would be.

"In biology?" I repeated dumbly. The girl with Emmett had beautiful blond locks, and she grabbed his arm as they headed towards the door. My eyes stinged with tears again. I had to make something up quickly.

"Oh." I looked back at Edward. "It was hay fever, if that is what you mean. I got an attack at the end of the class. It has been bothering me all day." I told him evenly. Shittiest excuse ever.

"Oh." Edward sounded unconvinced. "Look, I know it is none of my business, but..."

Edward's voice drifted away into the back ground noise as Emmett pushed the door opened to Joe's Diner. He breezed in, looking exceptionally confident and sure of himself. Why wouldn't he be? I thought bitterly. Rosalie Hale was right beside him, and on her angelic face was a big shit eating smile that told everyone in sight, 'He's mine!' My hopes were dashed again. The latest round of competition was over, and the long winter's sadness rushed over me. I had been passed by once more by Emmett McCarty.

As the familiar tears of rejection welled up in my eyes. I fought to hide my face from Edward. I was trapped in the booth. I would have to pass Emmett to leave the diner or pass Edward to get to the bathroom. I was not going to be get caught crying again. Was this what life was going to be all about for me – the constant waiting and watching while some other girl got the boy I wanted?

Edward looked straight at me. "Bella?" he asked softly, reaching for my arms.

I got up from the booth and grabbed my books. "Sorry. I got to go." I muttered. "Dentist appointment – forgot all about it."

Emmett stopped me at the door before I could dash out. "Hey Bella, old pal." he said, grinning broadly. "Think your friend, the book worm over there would give Rosalie and I his booth? Joe's Diner rules, you know." _You might have shared a booth with me_, I thought longingly.

"Ask him." I snapped back at him. I did not want him to see my face. Or Rosalie, either. I squeezed past them and out the door.

It was only after I had gotten within a block of my street that I realize I had stuck Edward with the tab for my root beer.

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**A/N: There you have it. Leave your reactions, comments, suggestions and violent reactions in the reviews page. Hope you liked this chapter! REVIEW, okay? ;)**


	3. Robins

**A/N: Wow. I just posted the second chapter yesterday and now I am posting another. Yay! Here is the next chapter! Hope you guys like it! - jitterbugs.**

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_Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Twilight Saga. I also got most of my idea while reading a book, I forgot what the title is so just message me if you think you know what it is. No copyright infringement intended._

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_Previously: _

_Emmett stopped me at the door before I could dash out. "Hey Bella, old pal." he said, grinning broadly. "Think your friend, the book worm over there would give Rosalie and I his booth? Joe's Diner rules, you know." __You might have shared a booth with me, I thought longingly._

_"Ask him." I snapped back at him. I did not want him to see my face. Or Rosalie, either. I squeezed past them and out the door._

_It was only after I had gotten within a block of my street that I realize I had stuck Edward with the tab for my root beer._

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As soon as I got home, I ran upstairs to my room and flung myself on the bed, ready to indulge in a good, private crying session. But a sudden sharp pain in my ribs left me sitting up in surprise. Alice's travel hair dryer had been left on my handmade quilt, again. As usual, she had not bothered to put it away after she had used it. Disgusted, I flung the dryer across the room onto her unmade bed, which was not even supposed to be a bed at this time of the day. It was my convertible love seat, and during the day it was meant to stand and closed up into a couch with a little pink pillow at the end.

Until Alice's arrival, the love seat had stood by the window and had been my favorite place to sit and read. Now I was lucky if it was ever a love seat at all. The freshly washed sheets that Mom had put on just the other day before were crumpled and had been soiled when Alice had spilled some powder blusher on them.

A jumbo towel, still damp from her morning shower, lay in a heap on the top. _The least Aunt Carol could have done for her daughter before she left was to teach her how to clean up after herself, I mean that was even drilled in your mind in kindergarten right? That you should keep your toys after you use it._ I though grimly.

I immediately felt guilty. Mom had reminded me daily for seven weeks that I was the lucky one and that I had to be patient with Alice. She had practically drilled the words to me: "Remember honey, it's hard enough when a parent remarries and you barely know your stepparent, but then to have to move away from the town where you have lived all your life – where all your friends are – now, that's rough! Alice needs all the understanding we can give her."

Of course, I knew that was true. But it seemed just as true that Alice was not having a bad time at all, while I was miserable. My cousin was beautiful and popular; I was dateless and lonely. Alice had Jasper, and I wanted a boyfriend too – one who needed me as much as I needed him. A boy whom I could tell all my secrets to, who would understand me and love me in a way nobody else had done before. It could be Emmett, if only he would wake up and see that I was the right girl for him. Rosalie was just designed to be the last on his merry-go-round of girls. I could care for him deeply and genuinely. I would be the one who would last. But would Emmett ever realize that? I would never know until I had been alone with him. But would that day ever come?

I sat up, cupped my face in my hands and sighed a looong sigh, full of self pity. Usually when I daydream about Emmett, I would stare into my dresser mirror. This time, though, no image gazed sympathetically back at me because Alice had chosen the corner of my mirror as the resting place for her bathrobe, and the flannel material obscured most of the glass. I wondered why she had bothered to hang it anywhere; most of her other things were strewn all over the floor. I fit my face neatly into the little patch of mirror still exposed. Except for a few wispy ends, my hair did not show. It was growing out from a layered cut and was a disaster in contrast to Alice's pixie cut hair. At least my face was pleasantly heart-shaped – inherited from my Mom, Renee – and my skin was smooth, blemish free and clear.

But then there was my nose. I bent my button nose back and forth with my finger. Why couldn't I have a little tuned-up nose like Alice's? I laughed when I remembered complaining it to my Dad, Charlie. He said "I think your nose is just fine and beautiful." It was then that I noticed it was exactly like his. Only it looked and awful lot better on a forty-five year old man than on a teenager like me.

There was a knock on the door. It opened a wee crack to reveal Renee's smiling face. "Hey honey!" she greeted me. As the crack widened, though, her smile abruptly disappeared.

"Oh!" she gasped when she saw the chaotic state of the room. In addition to the unmade bed and the piles of clothes strewn all over the floor, my desk and dresser were covered with books, magazines, and opened bottles of body lotion and nail polish. It couldn't have been a pleasant sight for a mother who worked all day and counted on her family for help at home.

"Good gracious, heaven!" my mother said, looking around her. "It is not like you to be so sloppy, Bella."

"Welcome to Alice Brandon's disaster are," I remarked sarcastically. "Did you really think, I made this mess, Mom?"

"Oh, Bells." she sighed and plunked down dispiritedly on the bed next to me. I knew her job at the nearby shopping mall wore her out.

"What should we do?" I asked . I meant about Alice, but I guess she did not understand it that way.

"What?" she answered, "Why, what do you think we are going to do? Clean this mess up now, immediately." she jumped up and pulled off her blazer.

"Mom!" I protested. "Alice made this mess, and she ought to clean it up instead of gabbing with girls at Joe's Diner all afternoon." I was surprised by my voice, I actually fucking whined. Wow.

"Bella!" she threw me a stern look. "It certainly would be nice if Alice were neater, but isn't that just a small thing compared to what she is going through?"

I made a face, but I knew better than to say anything.

"It has only been a couple of months since Aunt Carol remarried." Mom went on. "So Alice hardly had a chance to get adjusted. And I'm sure she still has mixed feelings about Uncle Bob."

Outside her therapy sessions, I figured Alice spent a lot more time thinking about school, fashion and boys – especially Jasper – than about her father, my Uncle Bob or even her new stepfather. But I kept that to myself. Renee did not look as though she were in a mood to be challenged. With the determination of a woman on a worthy mission, she went through the room, picking up clothes, shaking them out and sorting them to be hung back up or go into the laundry.

"That poor child must be terrified at spending her senior year in a new school three thousand miles away. Really, Bella, imagine what is going on in Alice's head."

_But what about what is going on in mine?_ I wanted to shout. Renee had been so attentive to Alice's needs that she hardly ever had time to listen to my troubles anymore. We cleaned in silence for a while. As I hung up one of Alice's not too wrinkled shirts in my closet, I realized that it had been quite a long time since I had confided in my mother about anything.

"Uh, Mom – " I began.

Mom looked at me and as she did she turned her head to scour the room. "Well, we've done it." she announced.

To my surprise, the room looked almost normal again. I wondered if Alice would notice.

"I'm going to go down and start the steak." she said. "Would you please finish up here with a good vacuuming?"

"Sure, Mom." I grimly answered.

On her way to the door, she stopped and turned around. "Oh, Bells. What did you start to tell me?"

I had lost my nerve. "Oh, nothing important." I shrugged. Mom probably would not consider boy trouble a priority beside Alice's adjustment to her mother's remarriage.

"Remember," Mom said, winking at me before she left the room "Alice needs special love and attention right now. It's a very trying and hard time for her. You understand, don't you, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," I nodded "Sure, Mom."

"That's my girl." Mom smiled approvingly and then she was gone.

After smoothing the wrinkles on my bed spread. I started for the vacuum. As I bent down to turn it on, I noticed a slip of paper on the floor. My biology bird assignment. It seemed determined to fly away from me. "Bluebird" was written in Professor Banner's neat handwriting. What was it that Edward had said about the bluebird? It was the symbol of hope, peace, love and happiness. The thought made me laugh out loud.

Poor Edward. He had meant well, but obviously this was one bird that had been assigned to the wrong person!

Quickly, I vacuumed the room and when I finished, I was glad Mom made me do it. It felt good to have my clean room back, even if I had not been responsible for the mess in the first place. I liked neatness and order. It was hard for me to think clearly when everything surrounding me was in chaos. Now that I could see the top of my desk, I pulled my history book out of the back pack and started to read. Thinking about the Monroe Doctrine had to be more rewarding than thinking about Emmett at this point.

A loud, sudden knock at the window startled me. I looked up to see a bird lying in a daze on the sill. It must have flown into the window, I thought. Hoping it was not terribly hurt, I opened the window and gently took the bird in my hand. It felt warm, and its heart was still beating, though its eyes were closed. Some chirping nearby caused me to look out. On a branch of our old oak tree stood another bird beside a nest. I knew these birds were robins. Maybe they had been looking for nesting material.

I held the limp body in my hand and stroked the red breast while its mate called anxiously from nearby.

"Please don't die." I whispered softly.

The bird was a pitiful sight lying there. Yet at the same time, I was struck at the incredible beauty of its glistening dark gray head and wings. Its breast was as orange as a freshly picked fall pumpkin, and its perfectly formed feet had five tiny claws made just for scraping worms. I hoped the bird would live. If it had babies, I would be able to watch them through the bed room window!

As I was about to bring the bird back in through the window, it opened its eyes and looked right at me. Its feet started to twitch. I placed it back on the sill, hoping it wasn't too hurt to return to the nest.

After looking around for a moment, the bird revived completely and fluttered over to a nearby tree branch. Its mate hopped over as if to stand guard. It would be okay.

The first smile of the day spread across my face. As if on cue, Alice walked in, slamming the door loudly in the process. She pouted when she saw me, probably remembering the incident at Joe's Diner. If she noticed the job Mom and I had done on the room, she did not comment on it.

"Daydreaming again?" she asked, dropping her books on the love seat.

"Nope. I'm watching something." I muttered.

"What's so interesting out there?" she inquired.

"Oh, a bird flew against the pane just now," I answered as matter of factly as possible. "I brought it back to life and let it go."

"Ooh, let me see." Alice said, squeezing next to me for a look. Her curiosity surprised me.

"It's one of the those birds right there," I pointed my index finger towards the nest. "They will probably have a bunch of babies soon."

"Really?" Alice leaned out and brushed her hair right into my nose, making me want to sneeze. "What kind of birds are they?" she asked.

"Robins."

"Robins? Robins!" Alice exclaimed and turned. She began throwing her books in all directions, at the bottom of the pile was her biology notebook, and she began to flip through the pages.

"All right!" she shouted, waving a small white slip in the air. "That's my bird!"

"What?" I exclaimed.

"I got 'robin'! I got robin for my biology assignment!" Curling up on the newly made love seat, she closed her eyes, pretending sleep and muttering dreamily. "I can do my report from the comfort of my own bed!"

With another leap she was back at my side. "Gee. Thanks Bella, you are a doll." she said in mock gratitude. "Now I can go and watch Jasper play this weekend. No chasing around town after those silly birds for me!" She planted a big, fat kiss on my cheek.

I just stood there lamely while she bounded out the door. A second later she bounced back again.

"Can I borrow your red sweater, Bella? I've got to run over to Jasper's for a sec, and I don't want to dig around for mine."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." What else could I say? It was only a sweater – and Mom's words about being understanding still echoed in my ears.

As my cousin bounded down the stairs, I heard Mom call out, "Be home in an hour, honey! Dinner will be ready by then."

Once again, Alice would not be helping out.

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"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."  
_-St. Augustine_

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**A/N: So, how is it? I just looked at my review page and saw that there was still NO review for the second chapter. Ouch. I may not be posting for a while after this. But, if I see that there are some people who reviewed my story, I will definitely post the next chapter faster. Trust me, alerts are not enough, you got to tell me if you liked it, or what I need to improve on. Please, do review. Thank you and I'll be expecting for some reviews! **


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